Northcountry

Absolutely true. It would take a monumental genius of a scheduler to go out and find teams that you could predict would be having down years, bad breaks, bad luck, or any of the other factors that determine won/loss record.

Not discontented and not worried - just frustrated that UNO can always find a way to beat us or we can find a way to open doors for them to do so. I want this monkey off our backs and thought we played well enough to it IF WE WERE WILLING TO GAMBLE INSTEAD OF ALWAYS PLAYING THE PERCENTAGES. 99 times out of 100 I will agree with the decision-making but I really don't see a difference between losing by 4 points or losing by 1 point and we set ourselves up for the loss by not going for the win.

I also thought the Sioux played very well - well enough to win and it hurts me deeply to say this but in my opinion the sideline managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Dale Lennon is an outstanding coach and knows more football in his sleep than I do in my best moments, but how can pass TWICE on the opportunity to put a team away? Fourth and goal in a tie game on the road (in a place where ND has not won since 1995) and settle for a field goal? OK, I will concede that getting the lead was important and away from the emotion of the moment probably the right thing to do (what did Omaha do fourth and goal in its first possession?). The second time the score was 17-14 and why you kick in that situation I will never fathom. If you go for it and score Omaha has to score twice; if you go for it and fail you put the game in the hands of your defense and leave Omaha 98 yards to cover; if you kick the field goal you put the game in the hands of your defense and Omaha has to cover whatever is left after the kick return - the three points don't mean much in that situation and only mean the margin of defeat is one point instead of four. It is also true that Omaha got very lucky but damn it we have put ourselves into the situation where luck can play a part - they got lucky and blocked a punt, they got lucky and we turned the ball over 4 times. We have almost become a team that thinks three points from the 30 yard line in and try to not screw up the field goal position rather than making the kill. Defenses have to defend the end zone for three downs, not four and the third down play will be run to the center of the field to make the kick straight on. I dislike Pat Behrns but he won this game on fourth and goal on Omaha's first possession - I love Dale Lennon but he lost this game on fourth and goal in our second to last possession.

I love the "Force of the North" promotion - for some us of old timers it is a reminder of days passed when the Sioux were transitioning from pathetic (Pat Behrns), to possible (Kory Wahl and "Air Thomas"), to optimistic (Dale McCabe in a preseason WDAZ feature on Sioux football dubbed the team 'Force of the North"). I think it is a real tribute to where the Sioux football program is and how it got there - it would be neat (to borrow a favorite Roger Thomas descriptor) if the Sioux could again incorporate the Air Base into its promotions as it did in the original with players flexing muscles and using aircraft as props. By the way, I hope Dale is watching and smiling as the Sioux prepare for another season.

I drove through this "drug interdiction" zone and was stopped by the jackboots and their fierce and violent dogs. The trooper got a little testy when my grandson asked to pet the dog while he was working, but the whole experience was not unpleasant and we had a few laughs with the fascistas as they were beating us with rubber hoses and demanding that we tell them where the drugs we were smuggling from CANADA were hidden and which of the other vehicles on the audobahn were our accomplices. We cut a deal with them and implicated a few innocent Canadians in exchange for our freedom. After being forced to sing three choruses of "Fight on Sioux", pledge our allegiance to Engelstad and for which all he stands, and taking a solemn vow to forever help to oppress and supress all minorities, we were allowed to leave. Fascism indeed!

There may be plenty to work with this time, Sic. My take is that Mr. Taylor is imitating my wife when she says, "remember that time 10 years ago when you didn't call home and I had to entertain your parents for three hours - well it's payback time". Mr. Taylor seems to be implying that any scheduling now will be payback for not easing NDSU's transition and will be done on their terms and at their pleasure. That is part of the reason that I really don't care if these two programs ever play any time again. Of course there is a greeat deal of sentiment that goes the other way and Mr. Taylor may be forced to reconsider because it is what is "best for the State". We all know that in light of recent events involving NDSU leadership, the Board of Higher Education, and its chancellor that NDSU will always be anxious to put the welfare of the state ahead of its own interests. There is plenty of fodder here.

I just hate it when irony has to be explained, but try to follow along. I paraphrased Gene Taylor commenting on the possibility of UND and NDSU scheduling games in the future. Unless NDSU is adding hockey to its athletic program there is no chance that a game will be scheduled, therefore the performance of hockey athletes in the classroom is a moot point. I assume that Mr. Taylor was referring to basketball, football, baseball and sports where both schools actually have teams when he questioned the academic qualifications of UND's student athletes and implied that there might be an unfair advantage gained by UND because they have recruited athletes to compete at the DII level, which does not have the same academic requirements as DI. I found it ironic that he would question UND's academic requirements when they have consistently ranked in the top tier of NCC schools in GPA and graduation rates, whhile in its last years in DII, NDSU consistently ranked in the bottom half of the Conference. Maybe it does not seem like irony to you, but to me it was. I don't want to carry this too far but it also seemed ironic that he would use the phrase "level playing field" in justifying his hesitation to consider scheduling. I believe that we have heard that phrase before in regards to scheduling. Personally, I could care less it UND and NDSU ever or never played each other again. For the time being, we have gone our separate ways and are travelling our own roads - if at some point they converge, so be it but I don't want to see either school alter their path to make it happen.

And Gene Taylor has the gall to say that NDSU will have to look into the UND program to be sure that the Sioux student athletes meet Division I academic requirements before they will consider scheduling. He wants to assure a "level playing field" because NDSU athletes apparently rise to a higher academic standard. What a joke - NDSU consistently ranked in the bottom half of the NCC in both graduation rates and academic performance when they were DII, but now they may surpass UND because they are DI? That is as good a laugh as the Nick Nolte reference.

I really am having a hard time trying to understand why the NCAA and opponents of the Fighting Sioux nickname keep insisting that it is proper to ONLY be proud of White guys. Oklahoma is proud of the Sooners, Nebraska is proud of its farmers (Cornhuskers), Notre Dame is proud of the Irish, Monmoth is proud of the Scots, Grand Valley is proud of the Great Lakes sailors, Mississippi is proud of the Rebels (as is Las Vegas), Wyoming is proud of its Cowboys (UCSB calls its cowboys Gauchos), Denver is proud of the Pioneers, and the list goes on. These are ALL white guys and the pc crowd and the NCAA says "fine". I would think that there would be an uproar over no schools being proud of Blacks, Latinos, Hispanics and other minority groups and an ourpouring of support for those schools that express pride in American Indians. A hypothetical: Suppose a school wanted to rename and chose to be proud of the Patriots who fought for liberty in the Revolution, especially those who came in slavery and fought for their and our freedom. This school renames itself "The Patriots" and as a logo adopts a Black man in Revolutionary War uniform and installs as a mascot a replica of the logo to inspire fans and be visible at all contests. Would this imagery be deemed "hostile and abusive"? If so, would it still be "hostile and abusive" if the logo and mascot were changed to a white guy? This is why I believe that the only way to settle this issue is in court. Is it permissible to use human imagery to represent institutions? The answer has to be either yes in all cases or no in all cases.

What needs to be realized is the it was the NCAA that fired the "hostile and abusive" shot, did it without ever having visited the campus, did it without ever communicating with the UND population, did it in spite of the two self-study reports that UND filed with the NCAA, did it in spite of the report from the Office of Civil Rights (which they subsequently refused to read), then fired off two appeal rejections (both of which affirmed their position that UND maintains and promotes a "hostile and abusive" atmosphere despite again refusing invitations to visit and SEE FOR THEMSELVES). In my opinion, the hand of compromise and reason was tendered to the NCAA and they slapped it TWICE - the opportunity was there for the NCAA to say "Let's talk about this", instead they responded with "you have not proved yourselves innocent of our accusations (and there is no need for US to prove your guilt)". I think President Kupchella has been very measured in his response and the fact that others have implied that the NCAA will have a "long memory" which will cause harm down the road for Dr. Kupchella's response only reinforces the need for the NCAA to be called to defend itself and its position. I have believed from the start that litigation is the only way to put an end to this once and for all - the use of human imagary and logos is either permissable under law or it is not and I for one am willing to abide by whatever the courts decide. As an afterhought _ I think I am in favor of winning the battle in court and the next day announcing that UND will no longer use any nickname or logo, we will simply be THE University of North Dakota (maybe THE as the logo, with some feathers). English majors please to not take issue with the rambling prose.

I am not a physicist (but I have stayed at a Holiday Inn), so if there are holes in my logic feel free to drive a truck through them. The world record for the 500 meter sprint is 0:34.30, and for the 1500 meter it is 1:42.68. By my calculations, either converts to an AVERAGE speed of 30-33 mph. Now I digress to baseball, where radar guns are used to track the speed of a pitched baseball. There are two types of these in use - one measures the speed as the ball leaves the pitcher's hand, the other measures the speed of the ball at the halfway point to the plate. The difference between the two is usually about 2-3 mph so the actual speed depends upon where the ball is at any given instant, not on the average time it takes to cover the 60 feet 6 inches. Digression over - back to our skater. 30-33 mph is a measure of the average time (or speed) for a given distance, not for any singular burst of speed or any attained speed at a given instant. I still want to believe that "The Roadrunner", Yvan Cournoyer, did indeed hit a maximum of 50+ mph at one point in his career. Cournoyer's skates had longer than usual blades which limited his lateral mobility, but I have never seen a hockey player skate faster than him (apologies to Kevin Spiewak).

I'm an old timer with a failing memory, but it seems to me that back in the late 1960's or early 1970's one of the "Flying Frenchmen" from Montreal, Yvan Cournoyer was timed at 50+ mph. Don't take this as Gospel, but as a memory from a long-time hockey fan of one of his favorite players.

I was a part of this survey and was contacted as a season ticket holder for football. All of the questions I answered referred directly to foootball, level of support if a move occurred, likelihood of attending road games, etc.

I can't find any place in our Constitution or in the statutes of the Federal government, state government, couunty government, or municipal ordinance that grants to any person the right to not be offended. I find places that grant the right to security, to speech, assembly, religious practice, to not be cheated or defrauded, to not be assaulted, libeled or slandered but I'll be damned if I can find "offended" as a misdemeanor or felony anywhere. I personally have made a pledge to myself NOT to be offended - I refuse to let anything "offend" me. I get angry, discouraged, disgusted, or frustrated, but "offended" is a state of mind I refuse to enter because it places the offended in a victim position in which you can only be empowered by others coming to your rescue - not a very honorable position. CJOB radio (Winnipeg) had a commentator on Friday afternoon talking about people as sheep, wolves, and sheepdogs. Predators, prey, and those who protect. The most significant part of the commentary was the commentator concluding that sheep are sheep by birthright, wolves are wolves by birthright and their nature cannot be altered. Humans however have no such birthright and must learn what roles to play. Is it possible for human "sheep" to develop the traits of self determination and self protection if they are constantly coddled by "sheepdogs" and convinced that the dangers of the world are too great for them to face without protection. I swear that there is a point in there somewhere - if you find it please respond and share it. Sorry for the ramble.

How in Hell can a name like "Rough Riders" be called indigenous to the state of North Dakota? Unless I am totally ignorant of history Teddy Roosevelt was from New York and commanded the Rough Riders in Cuba. It is indigenous to connect this to North Dakota because he once deemed to spend part of his year in the unpopulated and uncivilized outback of North Dakota? If you want indigenous then "Wheatgrass" makes a Hell of a lot more sense than Rough Riders. The point is - this is North Dakota and our university should carry and convey the spirit, history, and geography of the state. The symbol of the Sioux depicted in the UND logo does exactly that a whole lot better than some robber baron carpetbagger from New York ever could.

It's not a case of being "chicken". At this point the game would have meaning for only ONE side of the contest (that being UND because they are the only ones with a post season potential). When NDSU becomes playoff eligible, the game will have meaning for both teams again - will NDSU still be anxious to have the Sioux on their schedule? I think not, because a loss would impact their post season chances and scheduling Valpairiso would make more sense. I miss the Sioux/Bison matchup, not because of any rivalry but because the game was always meaningful in its overall implications. When we can get back to that i would like to see the game scheduled, until then I really don't care what or who the Bison play.

What is the word - Absurd?

Obviously a bunch of "hang around the kennel" Huskies who have not yet been "educated on this issue".

According to some recently uncovered artifacts from the Fordville area, in circa 1492 a band of Sioux defeated a band of Chippewa in a contest of various "feats of strength". The Sioux band was then entitled to declare itself "the strongest nation in the region" and laid claim to the first national title. In this context then I guess the Sioux did learn from the Sioux.

Once again, that is not what I said. Dale Lennon's success is a result of Dale Lennon's talents and motivations; Gene Roebuck's success is result of Gene Roebuck's talents and motivations. My point is not that either is or was reliant on NDSU for their success, but that NDSU seemed to identify where it could win championships then put the people, resources, and methods in place to do it. Only later did UND and the rest of the NCC decide that they too should hire a strength and conditioning coordinator for example, that freshmen football players should be redshirted, that athletes should train all year instead of in season, and so on (there is suspicion that SU's footballers may have been given access to the pharmacy school also, but that is a different debate). If I may use an analogy - In 1959 the Soviet Union launched the first ever satellite into orbit. That event woke a sleeping giant and the U.S. space program took off - end of contest. My point being that NDSU has been launching first in the athletic realm and it may be time for us (UND) to stir.

PCM - I did not say that NDSU always leads and UND follows. What I did say that in the 1980's NDSU dedicated itself to winning championships in football, put together the resources to do it, and built a program that dominated DII for that era. In the 1990's the focus turned to women's basketball and they built the same kind of program. At the same time UND was winning hockey championships and had a men's basketball program that lost national tournament games to eventual national champions (all of whom are now Division I, by the way) something like 4 years in a row. What I was trying to say was that NDSU recognized and acted upon what needed to be done before and, in my opinion, is doing the same now in the Division I move. At this point we can either get going and lead, follow, or get out of the way.

Well done, Bison and congratulations on what is becoming a remarkable season of men's basketball for you. Coach Miles is an extraordinary coach, recruiter, and motivator and he has assembled what could be an outstanding team for years to come. I don't know exactly where NDSU's win over Wisconsin would rank in the annals of NCAA basketball but it certainly deserves to be on someone's Top 10 list of upsets. I am a diehard Sioux fan, alumnus, and supporter (financially) and I am quickly coming to the conclusion that a move to Division I is not only inevititable but desireable. In the 1980's NDSU taught the NCC schools what needed to be done to compete for national championships, in the 1990's NDSU taught the NCC schools what needed to be done for women's basketball to compete for national championships, now they are teaching how to compete on the Division I stage. I secretly (and not so secretly) despise the Bison, but I do greatly admire the approach they have taken to their athletic programs dating back to Ade Sponberg. It is time to put all else aside and move UND to full Division I status - we have proved that we can follow the NDSU lead and in many cases, improve on it. There is no gain without risk.

On the "time - honored" tradition of UND students standing during hockey games: This "tradition" began when Athletic Director Roger Thomas initiated a program of "rush seating" to allow the general public to purchase student seats that were not being used. To determine the number that could be sold, a count of empty seats was done at the beginning of the game and 5 minutes into the period that number of seats were put on sale with the buyer then "rushing" to find an unoccupied spot to sit. Student response to this program was predictably negative and students organized a campaign to not sit down so that officials would not be able to accurately count available seats and the student section not be subjected to the presence of the unwanted, unwashed rubes and their families who otherwise had no chance of attending games. Students as a group tend to be self-centered and selfish, concerned only with their own rights and priviledges, and generally uncaring about anyone or anything outside of their sphere. When I write my check for season tickets I am purchasing the rights to a "SEAT", not a designated standing space although there are several occasions in every game that literally "pull me out of my seat" and you can witness a literal "wave" of rising people in response to the action. There is a way to be a part of the game and at the same time respect the rights and space of others.

A great start to the season, but I'll be more impressed if we tie the record for besst FINISH to a season.

Matt's parents are Mayville State graduates and strong members of the MSU Alumni Association. They raise a great deal of money in the Pembina County area for the college - stranger things have happened.